Rhoda Mulaudzi beats Andile Dlamini to SAFJA Women's Player of the Year

Rhoda Mulaudzi has won the South Africa Journalist Awards (SAFJA)'s Women's Player of the Year award for 2019-20.

The 30-year-old inspired Mamelodi Sundowns to an inaugural Safa National Women's League (SNWL) triumph, scoring 36 goals in 18 appearances, making her the top scorer of the season.

Mulaudzi won the award, voted by sports journalists across South Africa, ahead of Sundowns team-mate Andile Dlamini, University of Western Cape’s Bongeka Gamede, Tshwane University of Technology’s Hilda Magaia and First Touch Academy’s Noko Matlou. 

Mulaudzi rejoined Sundowns in 2019 after stints abroad with Canberra United in Australia and Apollon Limassol in Cyprus before recently joining Dinamo-BSUPC in Belarus.

With the award, the striker, who helped Dinamo to their first-ever Belarusian title on Monday, also received R10 000 as prize money.

“I would love to congratulate them for being nominated for this SAFJA Award," Mulaudzi said while acknowledging her award.

"They are all great players in South Africa and they are always working hard, so I'd like to say to them we are all winners and I believe they still have more to offer in women's football. 

“I would love to dedicate this award to all the women's footballers out there in South Africa, and I'd love to tell them that even though things don't look to be going your way or at times you feel like giving up, yo don't have to give up!

“I would love to congratulate them for being nominated for this SAFJA Award. They are all great players in South Africa and they are always working hard, so I'd like to say to them we are all winners and I believe they still have more to offer in women's football.

“I would love to dedicate this award to all the women's footballers out there in South Africa, and I'd love to tell them that even though things don't look to be going your way or at times you feel like giving up, yo don't have to give up!”

Busisiwe Mokwena, deputy chair of SAFJA, expressed gratitude to the sponsor of the award for their backing in giving South Africans a transparent and credible accolade.

“As SAFJA, we’re quite pleased to have awarded the best player in the SNWL," she said. 

"Rhoda Mulaudzi is a deserving winner, though she had some tough competition.

"We’re also grateful to Hollywoodbets for backing this award, it means a lot not only to us but also to the entire women’s football community."